Vilnius: Sweden's accession to NATO was approved by Turkiye on Monday, paving the way for the allies to show their solidarity at a summit aimed at defending Ukraine from Russian invasion.
The blockade of Sweden's membership bid by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had cast a shadow over preparations for the meeting on Tuesday, but the nations resolved their differences in last-minute negotiations in Vilnius.
"Finishing Sweden's NATO membership is a historic step that enhances all NATO allies' security at this crucial juncture. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, it makes us all safer and stronger.
Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, declared himself "very happy" and praised "a good day for Sweden."
Erdogan has agreed to push for the Turkish parliament to ratify Sweden's bid, which still needs to be approved.
Although Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has indicated he will follow Erdogan's example, the country has not yet approved Stockholm's bid.
As he thanked Stoltenberg, US President Joe Biden said, "I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally." Biden was attending the summit in Vilnius along with Stoltenberg.
The "good news" was also welcomed on Twitter by the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock.
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Sweden's application to join the Atlantic alliance has been stalled by Turkiye, which accuses Stockholm of harbouring Kurdish activists who Ankara views as terrorists.
And on Monday, Erdogan raised the stakes even further by requiring that Sweden join NATO only if Turkey's dormant EU membership application is revived by the European Union.
Sweden pledged to strengthen bilateral trade and anti-terrorism coordination in a statement following the three-way talks between Erdogan, Kristersson, and Stoltenberg.
According to the statement, Sweden "will actively support efforts to revitalise Turkey's EU accession process, including modernising the EU-Turkey Customs Union and visa liberalisation."
That agreement was reached after Erdogan interrupted his discussions with Stoltenberg and Kristersson to meet separately with European Council president Charles Michel, the head of the EU.
They "explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkeyye cooperation back to the forefront and re-energize our relations," Michel said, hailing the meeting as "good."
Turkiye has been a formal candidate for membership in the European Union since 2005 and has long been a contender, but negotiations have stalled for a very long time with little sign of progress.
But according to statements made on Monday, in the absence of formal membership negotiations, Ankara and Brussels might move to increase trade, modernise their customs agreements, and relax visa requirements.
Olaf Scholz of Germany insisted that Sweden's aspirations and Turkey's ambitions are unrelated, and EU members continue to have doubts about Ankara's dedication to democratic and rule of law reforms.
Separately, Ukraine welcomed progress in its fight for a guarantee that, if and when it defeats the Russian invasion, it will be able to join NATO as a full member.
According to a Western official who spoke to AFP, the allies will no longer insist that Kyiv complete a "Membership Action Plan," which has served as a kind of roadmap for military reform for some allies.
This concession, which Moscow warned would have serious repercussions for European security, would, according to Ukraine's foreign minister, hasten Kyiv's path towards NATO membership.
The ideal time has come to provide clarification regarding the invitation to Ukraine to join, Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
"Ukraine merits membership in the coalition. Not right now because there is a war, but we need a strong signal, and we need it now, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Telegram video.
However, there is still disagreement among NATO leaders over providing Ukraine with a direct path to membership in Vilnius.
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While the United States and Germany are hesitant to go beyond an earlier pledge that Ukraine will become a member one day, Eastern allies are pressing Kyiv to receive an explicit commitment on when it can join.
The "entrances, exits, and movement of the enemy around the city" of Bakhmut in the east of the country, according to Ganna Malyar, deputy minister of defence of Ukraine.
Seven people were killed by Russian shelling on a distribution point for aid in the southern Ukrainian town of Orikhiv, according to the emergency services on Monday.
